A group of MPs in Westminster have set up an All Party Parliamentary Group to oppose a change to the current ban on euthanasia.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dying Well stands against the legalisation of assisted suicide in the UK, instead promoting quality end-of-life care.
Danny Kruger MP, the group’s chair, highlights the dangers of legalized euthanasia: “Once you have conceded, legally, the right of some people to request official help to kill themselves, that right quickly becomes universal.”
He points to the situation in countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium: “Laws which were supposed to limit euthanasia to mentally competent terminally ill adults now allow the euthanasia of non-mentally competent adults, disabled children aged under 12 months, disabled adults, and even those with treatable psychiatric problems.
“A far better solution is to invest in the comparatively recent medical speciality of palliative care.”
SPUC Comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “It is encouraging to see MPs take positive action to oppose the campaign to legalize euthanasia in this country.
“When the Abortion Act of 1967 was passed, politicians insisted that it could be used only in certain restricted circumstances. Now, of course, we have the terrible situation where abortion is practically available on demand for any reason and it’s becoming increasingly evident that changes in medical guidelines and in law (The Mental Capacity Act 2005), mean that patients in England and Wales may be at risk from decisions to stop giving them food and fluids or to stop giving them medical and nursing care.
“The death lobby must not be allowed to mislead people with this dishonest argument. Euthanasia and assisted suicide must be opposed in all cases if we wish to avoid the frightening disregard for life that we see in countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium.”
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